Tone hole covering assembly for use in wood-wind musical instruments and a method of assembling the same

ABSTRACT

A TONE HOLE COVERING ASSEMBLY COMPRISES A PAD CUP HAVING A SUPPORTING ROD PROJECTING FROM THE INNER BOTTOM SURFACE THEREOF, A PAD SECURED AROUND A CAPSULE WITH ONE END OPEN, THE SUPPORTING ROD BEING INSERTED IN THE CAPSULE, AND HOT MELT ADHESIVE AGENT CONTAINED IN THE CAPSULE AND CONNECTING THE CAPSULE WITH THE SUPPORTING ROD. THE ADHESIVE AGENT IS INTRODUCED INTO THE CAPSULE IN A POWDERY FORM, FOR EXAMPLE, AND IS HEATED WHILE THE PAD IS KEPT IN AN ENGAGED RELATIONSHIP WITH A TONE HOLE SOCKET FORMED ON A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT, AND IS THEN COOLED TO A NORMAL TEMPERATURE, WHEREBY THE PAD IS SECURED TO THE CUP IN A DESIRED AIRTIGHTNESS WITH RESPECT TO THE TONE HOLE SOCKET.

NOV. 30, 1971 AKlRA NAGAO 3,623,391

TONE HOLE COVERING ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN WOOD-WIND MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS ANDA METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME Filed June 18, 1970 United States Patent3,623,391 TONE HOLE COVERING ASSEMBLY FOR USE IN WOOD-WIND MUSICALINSTRUMENTS AND A METHOD OF ASSEMBLING THE SAME Akira Nagao, Hamamatsu,Japan, assignor to Nippon Gakki Seizo Kabushiki Kaisha, Hamamatsu-shi,Shizuoka-ken, Japan Filed June 18, 1970, Ser. No. 47,336 Claimspriority, application Japan, June 20, 1969, 44/413,549 Int. Cl. G10d7/00 US. Cl. 84-380 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A tone holecovering assembly comprises a pad cup having a supporting rod projectingfrom the inner bottom surface thereof, a pad secured around a capsulewith one end open, the supporting rod being inserted in the capsule, anda hot melt adhesive agent contained in the capsule and connecting thecapsule with the supporting rod. The adhesive agent is introduced intothe capsule in a powdery form, for example, and is heated while the padis kept in an engaged relationship with a tone hole socket formed on amusical instrument, and is then cooled to a normal temperature, wherebythe pad is secured to the cup in a desired airtightness with respect tothe tone hole socket.

This invention relates to a tone hole covering assembly for use in awood-wind musical instrument such as a flute and a method of assemblingthe same, and more particularly the method by which the pan can beengaged with a tone hole socket formed in the instrument with sufficientairtightness.

Usually, a tone hole covering assembly for a woodwind musicalinstrument, such as a flute, engages a tone hole socket formed in theinstrument in an open and closed relationship, by rotatably operating akey cup connected to a hinge by means of an arm extending from the cup,which hinge is pivoted to the body of the instrument. It is known thatthe airtightness of the pad with respect to the tone hole socket whichis obtained when the pad engages the tone hole socket greatly influencesthe stability of the musical tone, especially at the bass tone region.Frequently, the pad does not engage the tone hole socket in a desiredcondition due to a lack of precision in positioning the cup, the hingeand the socket and in the production of accessory parts. This calls fortroublesome and inaccurate adjustments of removing the cup together withthe hinge and placing a suitable number of spacer sheets between thebottom surface of the cup and the pad to control the inclination of thecontact surface of the pad. Such adjusting operation requires high skilland is time-consuming, thus lowering the productivity.

The object of the invention is to eliminate the drawbacks describedabove and to provide a tone hole covering assembly and a method ofassembling the same ensuring a positive and predetermined airtightnesswithout the need of any later adjusting operation. The object isattained by providing a supporting rod on the inner bottom surface of acup, securing a capsule with one end open to a pad, introducing a hotmelt adhesive agent into the capsule, inserting the supporting rod intothe capsule, heating the agent such that it is in a fluidized statewhile pressing the pad onto the edge of a tone hole socket, and coolingthe agent to a normal temperature, permitting the agent to besolidified.

This invention can be more fully understood from the following detaileddescription when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, inwhich:

3,623,391 Patented Nov. 30, 1971 FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tonehole covering assembly embodying this invention;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of a cup;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of a pad; and

FIG. 4 is a vertical cross section of the tone hole covering assembly inits assembled state.

Referring to the accompanying drawing, there is shown a tone holecovering assembly for a woodwind musical insrtument such as a flute, theassembly comprising a pad cup 11 and a pad 13 housed therein. The cup 11made of a suitable metal is provided with a supporting rod 12 whichextends downwardly from the central portion of the inner bottom surfacethereof. The supporting rod 12 is preferably provided with an externallythreaded portion, which firmly secures the engagement of the rod 12 andan adhesive agent. The pad 13 is made of a soft flexible material, suchas felt, and shaped into a doughnut to define a central opening whichreceives a metal capsule 16 having an open end. The capsule 16 may beformed of a hollow cylinder 17 and a cover 18 for sealing one end of thecylinder 17. When the cover 18 is secured to the cylinder 17, a washer19 is placed in such a manner that it is held between one surface of thepad 13 and the edge of the cover 18. To the opposite surface of the padis deposited a sheet backing 14. A unit comprising the pad 13 and thesheet backing 14 is entirely coated with a fish skin 15 except for thecentral opening into which the capsule is inserted. In the centralopening of said unit is introduced a hot melt adhesive agent 20 in apowdery or particulate form. The pad 13 is then placed in the cup 11 byinserting the supporting rod 12 into said capsule 16. The tone holecovering assembly thus arranged is set to the body 21 of a musicalinstrument through a hinge 11b secured to an arm 11a extending from thecup 11, and the hinge 11b is rotatably supported on the body 21 of theinstrument. The pad 13 is then allowed to cover or seal a tone holesocket 22 formed on the body 21 of the instrument by applying pressureonto the cup 11 and by permitting the outer surface of the pad 13 to bein contact with the edge 22a of the tone hole socket 22. While the pad13 is kept in engaged relationship with the socket, the adhesive agent20 is heated by a heating iron 23 or the like through the wall of thecup 11, as shown in FIG. 4 with the result that the adhesive agent 20 isfluidized or molten within the capsule 16 so as to permit the pad tomove freely and adjustably, whereby the pad 13 can be hermeticallyadapted to the tone hole socket 22.

The heating iron 23 is then removed from the cup 11 and the agent 20 iscooled to a normal temperature through its heat radiation andsolidified, whereby the pad 13 is positively secured to the cup 11relative to the tone hole socket with the pad 13 hermetically engagedwith the edge of the tone hole socket.

According to this invention, the pad can be fitted to the tone holesocket with positive and required airtightness without the need ofrepeatedly adjusting the position of the pad at the time of theassembling operation, so that the assembling operation can be greatlysimplified and productivity can be greatly improved.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of assembling a tone hole covering assembly for a wood-windmusical instrument having a cup with an inner bottom surface and a padmember housed in the cup and so operative as to open or close a tonehole socket formed on the body of the instrument, comprising:

providing a supporting rod on the inner bottom surface of the cup;

securing a capsule having one end open through the pad member to retainthe pad components together;

introducing a hot melt adhesive agent into the capsule;

thereafter inserting the supporting rod into the cap sule;

heating the agent such that it is in a fluidized state while pressingthe pad onto the edge of the tone hole socket; and

then cooling the agent to a normal temperature, permitting the agent tobe solidified, whereby the pad member is secured to the cup in anairtight relationship with respect to the tone hole socket.

2. A tone hole covering assembly for a woodwind musical instrumentcomprising:

a cup operatively mounted on the body of the instrument and having aninner bottom surface;

a supporting rod provided on and extending from the inner bottom surfaceof the cup;

a pad member;

a capsule having one end open for receiving the supporting rod throughthe open end of the capsule, the capsule being secured through the padmember and retaining the pad components together; and

a hot melt adhesive agent contained in the capsule 4 for connecting therod and the capsule such that the pad can be engaged with a tone holesocket formed on the body of the instrument in a close airtightrelationship. 3. The tone hole covering assembly as claimed in claim 2wherein said pad has an opening at its center, and said capsule issecurely inserted in said central opening.

4. The tone hole covering assembly as claimed in claim 2 furthercomprising a sheet backing reinforcing said pad, said capsule passingthrough said backing to retain said backing to said pad.

5. The tone hole covering assembly as claimed in claim 2 wherein saidrod pivots on the closed end of said capsule.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,421,399 1/1969 Greenleaf et a1.84-380 1,786,833 12/1930 Dytch 84385 UX 1,702,962 2/1929 Buescher 84380RICHARD B. WILKINSON, Primary Examiner I. F. GONZALES, AssistantExaminer

